Mark 2:6-12
“But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, ‘What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!’
Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so He asked them, ‘Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.’ Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!’”
And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, ‘We’ve never seen anything like this before!’”
Instead of immediately healing the man, Jesus first pronounced that his sins were forgiven. When Jesus came to Earth, He removed the barrier of the need to fulfill the law to get us to God. He came to be the bridge between sinful people and a holy God. It was easier for Jesus to say ‘your sins are forgiven’ because no one could tell if He’d really done it or not! But to prove His power to do both, He also heals the man. He reconciles him to God and meets his immediate needs.
Respond
1. Jesus’ biggest priority is to reconcile you back to God, not just meet all your immediate needs. If you’ve never taken the step to be reconciled to God, you can do that now. Admit your sin and accept Him as your savior from those sins!
2. If you’ve made that decision and consider yourself a follower of Jesus, reflect for a minute on ways your immediate needs may be putting a barrier between you and God. Ask God to make eternity with Him a priority for you.